A-G rejects claims youth boot camp plans axed

The Queensland Government denies it has suspended its youth boot camp trial.

But it says the far north Queensland trial camp could be combined with one due to begin soon in Townsville.

A program at Kuranda near Cairns in far north Queensland was suspended in April after the first two participants ran away and robbed a neighbour.

The Government decided to call for fresh tenders to run the boot camp and search for a new location.

The Cairns Post newspaper is reporting the boot camp trial has been suspended, citing an internal Justice Department memo.

But Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie says a Gold Coast boot camp is operating successfully and a new boot camp for far north Queensland is definitely going ahead, with more details to be revealed in the next fortnight.

"The article, I've got to say, in the local paper today that we've now suspended and walked away from this idea is completely wrong," he said.

"We are doing the boot camp - we going to re-announce it.

"It'll be starting back up and the youth of Cairns will be from September ... able to be referred to a boot camp."

Premier Campbell Newman also says more youth boot camps will soon open in regional Queensland, despite problems with the facility in the far north.

Mr Newman says plans for camps in the Townsville, Rockhampton and Fraser Coast regions are on track.

"The boot camps will be rolled out as we've promised," he said.

"There's another three coming online - it may be that we combine Cairns and Townsville's needs.

"But there's an announcement that's imminent - in the next three or four weeks we'll be announcing the commencement of these additional boot camps.

"Whatever we choose to do - if we have one at Cairns and one at Townsville, or we combine the two - it's about ensuring that a magistrate in either of those centres can actually sentence someone to that boot camp.